FRIDAY, 29 JULY, 2016 WALLER CHASING HIS OWN RECORD ARQANA: THE YEARLING Trainer Chris Waller is just two victories shy of setting a new record for metropolitan wins in a season, and the champion SEASON CURTAIN-UP conditionerBwho has thus far saddled 165 winners this termBhas seven chances to break the record he set three years ago, with 13 total runners in seven of the nine races at Rosehill on Saturday, the final metropolitan meeting of the season. This year, there were nine fewer Sydney metropolitan meetings than when Waller set the record three years ago. Speaking on his website about the possibility of surpassing his own record last week, Waller noted the importance of also having runners ready to fire at the beginning of the new season, which starts Monday. "The record is still within reach but I don't want to set the bar too high," he said. "The key is to have a good start to the season. You need to be training winners in August and keep it going." Last year=s record-breaking i2.6-million son of DubawiBPacifique at Arqana August | Zuzanna Lupa IN TDN AMERICA TODAY KENTUCKY DERBY TOP THREE MEET IN HASKELL By Emma Berry GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist (Uncle Mo), Exaggerator (Curlin) and Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), the first three home in the The Arqana August Sale is something of a rarity in that it's an GI Kentucky Derby, face a rematch in Sunday’s GI Betfair.com Haskell elite yearling auction disguised as a summer holiday. Invitational S. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. Chic Parisiens on vacation saunter through the picturesque seaside town at a slightly more leisurely pace than the visiting bloodstock professionals, who--despite the serious nature of their business in Normandy in mid-August--still manage to find plenty of time to enjoy the ambience, usually through to the early hours. However much fun it is for the buyers, sellers and onlookers, the team at the sales house needs its flagship event to be a success when it takes place Aug. 14 to 16Bwith the v2 Sale following Aug. 17--and there's no doubt that it has continued to make that happen since the old Agence Francaise gave way to the newly formed Arqana back in July 2006. Turnover for the first sale under the new moniker was just above i30-million for 385 yearlings sold. In the last three years, a streamlined catalogue has placed the emphasis firmly on quality, and despite smaller numbers offered during that time, the aggregate has continued to climb. Last year's crop broke new ground with record turnover (i42,881,000 for 265 sold), average (i163,292) and median (i95,000), while the top price of i2.6-million for the Ecurie des Monceaux-consigned Dubawi (Ire) colt out of Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) was also a new benchmark. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 29 JULY, 2016 "The purpose of this sale is to offer a sales place for yearlings with a precocious pedigree but perhaps slightly less fashionable. They are more mature and they don't have to wait for October," offers Hoyeau. As darkness starts to settle over Deauville during the first two elite evening sessions, there's little doubt that the action in the Arqana: The Yearling Season Curtain-Up cont. from p1 ring will continue to burn brightly as a flurry of well-related individuals approach hammer time. However hard that will be to beat, Arqana's President Eric The catalogue represents a who's who of the European stallion Hoyeau feels that his team has once again pulled out all the ranks, as well as an interesting array of yearlings by desirable stops in assembling a mouth-watering catalogue for the 2016 American sires, such as the versatile Kitten's Joy, Scat Daddy, sale. He says, "We are very confident in the yearlings we have to Smart Strike, More Than Ready and Broken Vow. offer. It's an early sale so we need mature yearlings and we feel Interest will be intense from the off, and only the second lot that the quality has really improved in the last five years. Of into the ring (lot 2) happens to be a Nathaniel (GB) half-brother course you can never predict the results, but we are very happy to this year's G1 Lockinge S. winner and former top juvenile going into the sale." Belardo (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), offered by his breeder This year the sale starts a day later than usual, on the Sunday Ballylinch Stud. evening (Aug. 14) after the Prix Jacques le Marois meeting at "He's very reminiscent of Belardo, perhaps even stronger than Deauville La Touques racecourse, handily positioned just a short he was as a yearling," says Ballylinch Stud's bilingual frontman stroll from the Elie de Brignac sales complex. John O'Connor. "Nathaniel has made a really promising start "The idea is to keep to the same number during the two with his first runners and I think they'll continue to improve as evening sessions. We have found that it is the perfect format," the year goes on. I wouldn't be surprised to see him right up explains Hoyeau. there in the first-season sires' list by the end of the year." "For Part 2 of the Ballylinch has been a long-time supporter of the August Sale, catalogue we with highlights including the i1-million sale of Thahab (Ire) decided to reduce (Dubawi {Ire}) to Al Shaqab Racing in 2013, while the Group the number offered a 3-winning half-siblings Fox Hunt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Anam few years ago to Alta (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) are also both graduates of the strengthen the sale sale. and that has worked This time around, Ballylinch offers Anam Alta's full-brother really well." (lot 41), who, as a great-grandson of the group-winning sprinter Ingabelle (GB) (Taufan), represents one of the farm's founding Eric Hoyeau (right) | Zuzanna Lupa Part 2 of the August Sale takes place families. Another from a different branch of the same family is throughout Tuesday afternoon and evening and is followed the lot 33, the half-sister to G1 Shadwell Fillies' Mile and next day by the v.2 Sale, which is now in its fourth year and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Chriselliam (Ire) offers yearlings in the less rarefied air than that of the August (Iffraaj {GB}). Cont. p3 Sale. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 29 JULY, 2016 Arqana August Preview cont. lot 34 through Coulonces Consignment, which also offers the full-brother to this season's dual French Classic victrix La "It's a sale we put an awful lot of thought and effort into," Cressonniere (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (lot 154) on behalf of Haras de continues O'Connor. "You need a pretty mature horse to go to la Cauviniere. such an early sale, and especially to cope with travelling to Ireland's Horse Park Stud is the consignor of lot 22, a brother France. The horses to young Darley stallion Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}), while also require strong the brother of Haras de Montaigu's new sire Prince Gibraltar (Fr) international (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) is offered by the same stud as lot 95, pedigrees to suit the the first yearling into the ring on Monday evening. market and not to be For the past four years, Ecurie des Monceaux has been the disadvantaged by leading vendor at the August Sale and we shall be looking at such an early prep." their draft in detail in a future edition. However, it would be He adds, "I know the remiss not to mention here an obvious stand-out in the brother Arqana team pretty to treble Group 1 winner Charm Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit well now and we {Ire}) (lot 44), as well as the sole Dubawi (Ire) of the sale (lot 25), John O=Connor (centre) | Zuzanna Lupa tend to agree on a half-sister to G1 Falmouth S. winner Giofra (Fr) (Dansili {GB}). which horses will work best there. It looks to me as if the For just two years, European breeders benefitted from the standard of the catalogue is higher than ever this year and I'm presence of Australian champion sire Redoute's Choice at Haras very happy with the six horses we're taking. It's a good, even de Bonneval. His first French crop from that sojourn proved draft." popular at Arqana last year, with 10 sold at an average price of Just some of the highlights throughout the sale on paper i366,500. Among the 11 on offer in August is lot 10, a include Haras du Buff's Oasis Dream (GB) filly out of the 1,000 half-brother to this season's Group 3 Prix de Royaumont winner Guineas winner Virginia Waters (lot 142); a Sea The Stars (Ire) The Juliet Rose (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}). Cont. p4 half-sister to Havana Gold (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who is offered as TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • 29 JULY, 2016 Arqana August Preview cont. This year offers the final chance to buy a yearling by the late Coolmore sire High Chaparral (Ire), who has six catalogued to sell in Normandy, including lot 51, Haras de la Louviere's colt out of Lawless Lady (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a winning sister to Lawman (Fr).